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The man who shot The Republican House Majority Whip Steve Scalise and others at a congressional baseball practice earlier this week had with him a piece of paper with the names of three other members of Congress.

A source told the Associated Press on Saturday that investigators aren't sure of the significance of the names and don't know if it was a list of people he was targeting.

The names have not been disclosed, those listed had been briefed.

Mr Scalise's trauma surgeon said Friday he can hope to make an "excellent recovery," even though he was at imminent risk of death when he arrived at the hospital. Dr Jack Sava of MedStar Washington Hospital Center said it's a "good possibility" that the Louisiana Republican will be able to return to work in his full capacity.

The congressman, who had been critical, was now in a serious condition, the hospital said.

James Hodgkinson , identified as the shooting suspect, holds a sign during a protest outside of a United States Post Office in Belleville, Illinois. Credit:
Derik Holtmann/Belleville News-Democrat/AP

Dr Sava declined to put a timeline on when that would happen or when Mr Scalise, 51, would be able to leave the hospital.

The doctor described how a bullet from an assault rifle entered Scalise's hip and traversed his pelvis, shattering blood vessels, bones and internal organs along the way.

Mr Scalise, who is third in the House Republican hierarchy arrived at the hospital via helicopter in shock, with intense internal bleeding, Dr Sava said.

Since then he has undergone multiple surgeries and procedures to stop the bleeding and repair bone. Mr Scalise been sedated, but has been brought out of sedation periodically and been able to recognise and communicate with his family, Dr Sava said.

Mr Scalise was wounded when a gunman opened fire at a Republican baseball practice Wednesday morning.Several other people were also injured in Wednesday's shooting before Mr Scalise's security detail and other police officers gunned down the assailant, who later died.

"I feel a lot more confident and a lot more optimistic than I did two, three days ago," Dr Sava said. "I think that his risk of death right now is substantially lower than when he came in ... he was as critical as you can be when he came in."

Dr Sava said he told Mr Scalise's family that "I am not declaring victory until he's playing ball in his backyard with his family."Also suffering relatively minor injuries were two Capitol Police officers, David Bailey and Crystal Griner, and House GOP aide Zack Barth. Officer Griner remains under care at MedStar Hospital after getting shot in the ankle, and Dr Sava described her in good condition.